Did You Notice Marvel Changed the Variant Cover to HULK #5?

Just days before the release of Hulk #5, Marvel has changed the solicited cover by changing out a character – or at least a head. The original variant solicited cover for Hulk #5 by Gary Frank has been changed from depicting Iron Man’s head in Hulk’s grasps to now featuring Ultron’s head in the green goliath’s grasp.

According to series editor Mark Paniccia, it’s due to changes in incoming writer Gerry Duggan’s plans from when the cover was first released and the final script to this Wednesday’s issue.

“Because Gerry’s story was coming out right after the Original Sin: Hulk Vs. Iron Man, there were plans to have Iron Man play a role in the arc,” Paniccia tells Newsarama. “But that changed and since we had a scene involving a deactivated Ultron in the book, it was an easy fix to make the object in Hulk’s hand relevant to the interior.”

Seeing one hero holding another’s head in his hand is shocking enough, but switching it to showing Ultron makes it potentially even more interesting given the raging robot’s role in next year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron movie. Marvel has already stated Ultron will appear next year in Avengers: Rage of Ultron original graphic novel, but knowing Hulk is working with a deactivated Ultron head springs to mind other possibilities – especially given Hulk’s recent infusion of Extremis from Iron Man.